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Materials — Improving panel performance

Researchers are using supercomputers to design better and less expensive solar panels that can capture the sun’s rays more efficiently and maximize power production. Using Titan to simulate the formation of active layers that transform solar energy into electricity at a molecular level, Mike Brown and a team of scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are determining the best ways to generate energy with the compounds that coat the surface of organic photovoltaic cells. These experiments could produce solar cells that can be used on a wide variety of surfaces. The paper was published in the journal Physics Chemistry and Chemical Physics by a team at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility and the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences. [Written by Jennifer Brouner, brounerjm@ornl.gov]